Did you know your gluteus- minimus, medius and maximus- are the largest and strongest muscles in your body? They are very important muscles that help with everyday movements, such as sitting, standing, walking, balancing and climbing stairs. Since they are pretty much involved in just about everything we do, keeping them strong is essential.
Strong glutes can decrease your risk of injury to the low back, knee, groin, and hamstrings. Does your low back ache occasionally? The source just may be weak butt muscles causing back strain. Weak glutes can also cause an imbalance in the hip, leading to the abnormal tracking of the kneecap and knee pain. Additionally, weak glutes contribute to pulled groin and hamstring muscles, as well as poor balance.
Do your glutes need some work? Squats are a wonderful exercise to add to your workout for glute strengthening! A few other good glute strengthening exercises include standing or quadruped hip extensions, clamshells, bridges, step ups, hip thrusts, and single-leg stands on a flat surface or a Bosu ball. Demonstrations of these exercises are easily found online or ask a trainer to show you. Pick a few favorites and try 2 sets of 10 repetitions 3-4 times a week. Including aerobic exercise in your weekly routine for 30 minutes 5 days per week helps to strengthen the glutes while burning fat too. Try adding an incline to treadmill workouts for an even greater butt strengthening boost.
For athletes, strengthening the glutes helps improve sports performance. But for those who aren’t athletes, strong glutes are still very important because they simply make life easier! Want better posture or be able to climb stairs more easily? Try strengthening your glutes! Having strong glute muscles is fundamental for proper execution of so many daily tasks and mobility.